About

How much of Earth's atmosphere must we contaminate? How much of our lands and waters must we pollute? How much of our resources must we plunder, deplete? How many species must we ravage, despoil, extinguish? How many people must we degrade, deprive, destroy with toxic wastes and wars, before we learn to respect one another, to live in harmony on this planet, our Home?
"All living beings are brothers and sisters, nourished from the same source of life.." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

About Me

I was born in Eastern Europe during the height of the
Stalinist regime's reign of terror. Thus, I know what it is like to live under a repressive, dictatorial regime. The fear and terror -- as dissident friends and family members were tortured, imprisoned and some were executed -- is indelibly etched in my memory. That is the reason I have always been an ardent advocate of freedom, social justice, civil liberties, human rights and a voice of peace. The way I see it, war is morally wrong, regardless of who wages it, for whatever reason. No piece of land or commodity is worth the sacrifice of one human life. We are all members of the same race - the "human race" - and must learn to coexist peacefully. Our planet cannot sustain us much longer if we do not stop our wars, nukes, polluting, deforestation, and the wasteful, gluttonous consumption and depletion of our natural resources.

âA satisfyingly virulent, comical, absurd, deeply grieving true portrait of how things work today in the sleek factories of conglomerate book producers... A skillful novel of manners -- of very bad mannersâ

Friday, October 06, 2006

CBC Documentaries this week-end

CBC Newsworld will be airing excellent new documentaries during this Thanksgiving long weekend. They are also repeating BANGKOK GIRL and THE BIG PICTURE WITH AVI LEWIS: HOTHOUSE (about the Palestinian 'Security Prisoners' imprisoned in Israeli jails).

All well worth watching!

PASSIONATE EYE SHOWCASE(Sunday October 8 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld)NOT IN OUR NAMEThere is no question that the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 changed the face of America. It not only created a climate of fear of future attacks, but also a fear of speaking out against the U.S. government's policies and the mass media's representation of the facts. Not In Our Name explores the state of opposition to the war in Iraq, through the voices of the leaders of the anti-war movement, and its growing supporters.http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/feature_081006.htmlPASSIONATE EYE SHOWCASE(Sunday October 8 at 11pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld)SIR! NO, SIR!The Vietnam War has been the subject of numerous films, but the story of the rebellion by thousands of American soldiers has been a well-kept military secret. Using candid interviews from Vietnam War veterans and never-before-seen archival footage, Sir! No Sir! reveals the untold story of the GI Movement.http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/feature_081006_2.htmlPASSIONATE EYE Monday(Monday October 9 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld)GUNS FOR HIRENever before have Britain and America relied so heavily on mercenaries in fighting foreign wars. At least 30,000 hired guns are now on the payrolls of the Western Powers training and fighting in from Iraq to Afghanistan. Veteran war correspondent Sam Kiley travels to Kabul to investigate the modern dogs of war. Mostly former soldiers men from companies like the British firm Global can expect to earn per day what they got per week in the army. They seek money and adventure, they can't settle into civilian life and now find themselves risking suicide bomb attacks while guarding the American embassy.http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday/feature_091006.html

__________________________________________________REPEATING PROGRAMS

CBC NEWS: THE LENS(Saturday October 7 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld)BANGKOK GIRLBangkok Girl is a 'remarkably accomplished, beautifully photographed and intimate debut documentary that puts a human face on the devastating social issue that, sadly, is the fate of too many impoverished girls.' Producer/Director Jordan Clark enters a world with various levels of prostitution -- from basic bargirls, who merely pour you a drink, money for sex relationships, to hooking on both sides of the gender line.http://www.cbc.ca/thelens/program_190906.htmlTHE BIG PICTURE WITH AVI LEWIS(Sunday October 8 at 7pm ET on CBC Newsworld)HOTHOUSE (120 minutes)At least 10,000 Palestinians are imprisoned in Israeli jails today. They are called 'Security Prisoners'. For most Israelis they are assassins and criminals. For most Palestinians they are heroes and freedom-fighters. With unique access to the most guarded Palestinian prisoners in Israel, director Shimon Dotan and producer Arik Bernstein explore the evolution of the Palestinian Prisoners into a political force and the impact that's having on Palestinian politics out of jail.